The 3 Courtyards Kindergarten

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The 3 Courtyard Kindergarten

Mak Molirithiruth

Preface

Despite three decades of devastating civil conflict, Cambodia has made significant progress in recent years in reducing poverty and promoting shared prosperity. Development and a focus on education are in line with the country’s growing regional integration and a decade of macroeconomic stability and progress. Although there has been some progress, schools still primarily focus on getting students to class and keeping teachers on campus while often ignoring the school environment and its impact to the students.

This project gave the opportunity to explore education architecture with environments that inspire, promote well-being and stimulate a connection with nature. In order to improve well-being, academic achievement, and public health, biophilic landscaping is used in educational spaces, which acknowledges the significance of the connection for student development.

Design Narrative

Before began working on this kindergarten project, three questions were raised: ”How do children learn?” “How can we get children to enjoy learning?” and “What do children long for the most?” The answers to these questions are quite simple. Children do not know what they want or what they need to do, and they often do not know how to do it. But one thing that we know is that Children love to play. As a result, architects need to guide children’s learning through architecture and design.

In this kindergarten project, the design focused on the five senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. The space was designed to stimulate all of these senses and encourage children to play and explore. The designs were also crafted to be functional and to meet the specific needs of the children and the programs.

The goal of the project was to create a space where children could run freely, play, explore, and learn. Incorporating biophilic elements, such as vegetation, natural light, and natural materials, makes educational spaces more stimulating and conducive to learning. Contact with nature inside and around learning spaces provides a range of benefits, including increased creativity, concentration, productivity, and air quality. This space will provide children with a stimulating and enjoyable environment in which they can reach their full potential.

The design focuses on establishing a range of landscapes, greeneries, and as well as pockets of indoor courtyard to provide children with a never-ending space to play, which promotes the idea of “Never Ending Learning Space” where the children don’t just study in the classroom and from books. Emphasis is placed on outdoors green spaces. Recreational spaces with lots of vegetation bring nature closer to students’ daily life by fusing surrounding trees and an infinite sky, creating a surreal setting that inspires children to think, reflect, and seek infinite possibilities. The goal is to give the kids senses or a feeling of their surroundings, including sounds like cars driving and honking, people commuting, and society living around them. By creating multiple edges, allow the children to see different corners of life, to see different scenarios which essentially let them observe and learn at the same time.

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Figure: Everywhere is a learning space
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Figure: Exploded Axonometric diagram
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Figure: Massing Figure: Program Massing Receptionist Bookstore Classroom Theatre Art & Craft Administration Teacher lounge Principle Kitchen

After carefully studying the environment and roofs in the surrounding area, the color of the roof was abstracted to blend seamlessly into the neighborhood.

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The choice of the materials was thoughtfully selected to make the kids feel at home while learning. “A kindergarten that feels like home”.

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